Libya has decided to withdraw from the Arab League, Tripoli declared Thursday. Libyan officials cited the Arab League's inefficiency in dealing with the crises over Iraq and the Palestinians as the reason for this move.

In a statement by the Libyan news agency, the Ministry of African Affairs said an official notification had been sent to Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Arab League spokesman Hesham Youssef said the 22-nation body had received no official notice from the Libyans. However, he acknowledged Libya had raised the possibility of a withdrawal with Secretary-General Amr Moussa, AP reported.

"This is not a new idea," Youssef said. "It has been raised before but (Moammar) Gadhafi has told the secretary-general that the idea was put on hold."

In Tripoli, Libyan officials said Moammar Gadhafi was unhappy with the Arab League's inability to deal with current Arab issues, mainly the standoff between Iraq and the United States and violence between Israelis and the Palestinians.

Gadhafi has been sharply critical of an Arab League peace initiative formalized at a summit in Beirut, Lebanon. After the summit, he urged the "the Arab street" to distance itself from "crippled" Mideast regimes, and called on the Arab League to cancel the Beirut initiative. (Albawaba.com)